The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-03-10
ORIGIN Il OF s;L.A:BTloWN.
/ Aftsr . storm sunshine.

oluGonary fame, settled on Three and.
Twenty Greek in the vicinity that after
wards became slabtown, ); and was the frat
pioneer settler therein. He was soon
followed by Job and benjamin Smith,
Alexander Oliver, Peter :Mch hahan,
Thos. Hamilton, George, Rankin and
others. The climate being Salubrions,
soil productive, water pure and timber
abundant, the community Increased and
prospered. Rankin erected 9 saw mill,
and as slabs. became abundant they we're
utilized 10 building sheds. stalls and out
houses to such an extent as to attract the
attention of some waggish traveller, whip
remarked that he had reached Slabto'oHI.
The. hit was good, the name stuck and
hence the origin-a town of slabs.
The second generation succeeded
to occupy, and we're sons Of The pic.
neer settlers. snch we're Col. g. Rankin,
Col. D. e. Hamilton, Dr., James Oliver;
Robert Pickens, Jim Smith and many
others. Their necessities required 9 store
and a Post Office, and Sheriff James
Mckinney, Col. q. Rankin and Wm.
.McMurry, formed . partnership and be.
gan q retail business at slabtown, and
q Post Office bad been granted with the
name as given By the passing wag. By
this time: the districts had undergone
some adjustments md redivisions, and 8
stage road opened from Pendleton to
Greenyille g. 81. passed directly by
slab1own at the crossing Of Three. and
Twenty .Creek, ten miles east Of Pen
dleton g. 81. But Slabtovn must need
to grow, therefore their thriving citizens
builded an Academy, engaged Manning
Belcher as teacher, and called the school
Thalien, but old slabtoWn would mt down
at the bidding, for having secured the
services Of Rev. ]. Leland Kennedy as
teacher, his reputation IS an educator
was such as to attract patronage from all
parts Of the State, and numbers from
adjoining States, and the address in cor
respondence between patron and pupil
being Slabtown Post Office, and those
pupils being domiciled as boarders
among the thrifty farmers for miles
around the Academy, so It soon was re.
cognized as slabtown all over an area
Of about eight miles. Thalien was lost,
but Slabtosm had assumed gigantic pro-
portions, much Importance, and had come
to stay. slab,own now embraces a large
part of the Townships Of Brashy Creek
ard Garvin, q good slice Of Hopewell, .
pinch from Williamson and line Of
Pickens County.
This second generation, above named,
were succeeded by their sons and others
as a third generation, some Of waom yet
occupy, but rrany are gone. Such were
Maj. G. w. and Thos. Rankin, Capt.
Jas. Orr, Stephen Martin, "a. P. Wat
son, Benjamin Mullikin and others de-
ceased, while of this generation there
yet reside in the section: F. NJ. Glenn,
Capt. James M, Welborn, J. G. Boggs,
Col. w. s. Pickens, ]. M. Smith, Col.
J. Jamisdn and many others. This is
the generation that made no uncertain
record in the late civil war, neither in
the campaign of 1876, nor have they
been laggards at any time when the pub.
lie veal demanded sacrifices on their
part. But this generation is being rap,
idly superseded by fourth who are COM
ing up to take their share of public re.
sponsibility, and they are they, who, at
the meeting above spoken Of, sprung the
mine, opened the crater and sent forth
those hot missiles of indignation. Now,
are these to be taken as renegade Sons Of
worthy sires9 Nay, nay, not bit Of
it; but it was rather the ezuberance of
energy, with desire to say or do some
thing to increase the notoriety Of the
Debating Club Of slabtown. In proof
of this conclusion, it needs only to ex-
anime the preamble and resolutions as
enunciated. In the preamble, they de-
clare the Law in question to be unjust,
oppressive, tyrannical." And in the third
resolve the declaration is made, "that we
win exert our most strenuous efforts not
to entrust to them the privilege" &c.
Then there must be an unjust man, or
men, tyTant in the law.making depart
ment, and we will exert our most siren.
nous efforts against his getting the chance
of a repetition. But 10, behold how
soon the metal cools, for they tell US
''that after other remarks" &C., it was
resolved "that ne freely pardon, attribu.
ting the error to the head and not to the
heart" These last virtually rescinds the
others, for if the error was not of the
heart, if the op, ,ssion was not design
edly inflicted, the, it follows that there
was no tyrant or tyranny, and if they
"freely pardon" then Of course they can:
not exert those strenuous efforts to pre-
VENT &c. Then, putting the first and
the last together, the status remains
much the same as if the indignation
resolves had not existed.
As Bill Arp would say, "well, maybe
its all right, I recon it is," for when the
smoke has cleared little, we see tho
road hands have shouldered arms, not
.s.the three.year-old hoe" of"Citizen," and
have marched ont, not along the hog
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